February 12, 2018

Los Alamos Republican to seek open House seat

BySteve Terrell, Santa Fe New Mexican | February 12, 2018

Dr. Lisa Shin, a Los Alamos optometrist and daughter of Korean immigrants, is running as a Republican for the seat in the state House of Representatives currently held by Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard.

“As a successful small business owner and health care provider, I bring a pragmatic, common sense approach to the issues facing us. I believe that free market principles based on individual choice and personal responsibility can strengthen our schools, our health care system and our economy,” Shin, 49, said in a statement.

Two Democrats, lawyer Christine Chandler and retired scientist Pete Sheehey, also are running for the seat. Both are members of the Los Alamos County Council. Garcia Richard, serving her third term, is not seeking re-election, running instead for for state land commissioner this year.

Shin, a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, with a degree in biochemistry, has practiced in Los Alamos for 20 years.

During a year in which even Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce has said President Donald Trump is very unpopular in the state, Shin does not shy away from invoking the name of the president when talking about economic policy.

“I support our president, and the new era of economic prosperity that his administration has ushered in,” she said in her announcement. “Unfortunately, New Mexico has been trapped in a decade-long recession. I am committed to economic policies focused on our recovery and growth. I support right-to-work legislation and tax policy that lowers the tax burden on working-class families. We must encourage more business investment in New Mexico.”

In the area of education, Shin said she would work to strengthen vocational programs and expand internet-based learning. She said she’ll be a “strong advocate for policies that promote parental involvement in New Mexico’s public schools.”

Though Los Alamos County was solidly Republican for decades — represented for 20 years by Republican Jeannette Wallace, who died in 2011 — the latest available voter registration numbers at the Secretary of State’s Office show that 38 percent of the voters in the county were Democrats as of January, while 33 percent were Republicans.

As for the entire District 43, which includes parts of Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Sandoval counties, Democrats have a registration edge over Republicans, 43 percent to 31 percent.

After inspecting absentee ballots from the 2nd Congressional District’s most-populous county, Republican Yvette Herrell decided not to challenge the results of the election she lost to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small in November. Herrell announced the news Monday, the deadline to challenge the results.

New Mexico elected a Democratic governor Tuesday, and she will have an expanded Democratic majority in the New Mexico state House at her side. Democrats have held a majority in both houses of the legislature since 2016 and after Tuesday night’s wins, they could hold up to 47 seats in the 70-member chamber, the most in decades, depending on several close races, including some that will trigger automatic recounts.

The New Mexico House of Representatives voted 42-27 late Monday to approve a bill that would expand requirements for instant federal background checks on buyers of firearms in the state. Exceptions would include sales of antique firearms or any sale involving immediate family members.